Rodrigo Lima bagged a brace as Benfica beat relegation-threatened Arouca 3-1 to go four points clear at the Primeira Liga summit.
Defeat dropped Arouca to fourth bottom, but they led when Iuri Medeiros opening the scoring after seven minutes... Read more

About

Moreirense Futebol Clube was first established in November 1938 in the Guimarães municipality in Minho. The club has come to prominence in Portugal relatively recently, off the back of their domestic performances over the course of the last few decades.

During the 1940s, the club was playing in the second tier of league system run by the Braga Football Association and up until the 1990s, Moreirense remained in the lower divisions of the Portuguese league system. In 1995 the team reached for second tier for the first time. After being relegated back down to the third tier, manager Manuel Machado led the club to back-to-back promtions in 2000–01 and 2001-02, enabling Moreirense to compete in the Primeira Liga for the first time in history. After Manuel Machado left the club in 2004, the team suffered relegation. This was followed up by a second successive relegation in 2005-06. The club climbed back out of the Segunda Divisão in 2010 and returned to the top flight in 2012.

To date, major honours have been beyond the reach of Moreirense. The club has been crowned champions of the Segunda Divisão twice and the Segunda Liga once. Their best performance in the top division came in the 2003-04 season, with the team finishing in 9th place.

Amongst the more significant players to have represented Moreirense over the years are Cícero Semedo, who helped the club achieve their return to the top flight in 2012, as well as the Angolan international goalkeeper, João Ricardo.

Since 2002, the team has played its home matches at Parque de Jogos Comendador Joaquim de Almeida Freitas. The stadium was built in the aftermath of Moreirense's promotions in the early 21st century. Initially, safety concerns were raised and the club temporarily left in the 2002-03 season. However it was deemed suitable for top flight football in February 2003. The stadium currently has a capacity of 6,100.